News Roundup

Published for NC Criminal Law on September 24, 2021.

USA Today reports that federal indictments for financial crimes were issued this week against Brian Laundrie, who also has been named as a person of interest in the killing of his fiancé Gabby Petito.  Petito’s disappearance, and the eventual discovery of her remains at a campground near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, became a major national news story when Laundrie returned to Florida without Petito after the pair embarked on a cross country road trip.  Laundrie did not explain Petito’s disappearance and has himself been missing for more than a week.  Keep reading for more news. Body Cams.  As WRAL reports, a recent City of Durham audit has found that police department policies related to the uploading of footage from body-worn cameras are not being closely followed by officers.  The WRAL report suggests that noncompliance in the department mostly relates to timely information management practices rather than instances of officers intentionally turning off their cameras to prevent encounters from being recorded. School Threats.  WRAL reports that a 17-year-old high school student is in custody after being accused of using social media to make threats of mass violence this week at Smithfield-Selma High School, South Johnston High School, and Corinth Holders High School.  Law enforcement and school officials warned students that such threats were not something to make lightly and that it was possible to trace online activity.  Theranos.  The ongoing fraud and conspiracy trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was in the news this week as former Secretary of Defense [...]